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If you have been following this series, in the video before, we started to have a conversation about the concept of purpose, and I mentioned Isaiah 43:7 which states,

“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him”.

Rephrased in a succinct way, the text simply states that we were created for God’s glory. Now, the first time I learned of this text, I really struggled to view God in the way that I was taught to view Him, which was loving and caring and kind. Because, in my initial reading of this text, all I myopically thought, was that my existence was solely to come and worship and glorify God, every day, 24/7, 365 days/ year. What a boring and mundane existence. Yet, here I am, a Christian nonetheless, therefore, what gives?

Firstly, in understanding scripture, context is important. The big picture is important. We cannot understand scripture, more so God, in isolation. So, I continued to read and reflect upon various scripture in the bible. Many scriptures referenced God’s love, mercy & grace. More than that, the most critical characteristic trait evident of God, that is replete throughout the bible, is God’s holiness & righteousness. God is righteous, He is without sin, without spot or blemish. God is the embodiment of Holiness. And guess what? When God created mankind, he imbued that unto us, He imparted His holiness and righteousness into the first man and woman that was ever created:

 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Genesis 1:26

And that is the clue of what it means to be created for God’s glory. Did you catch it? Genesis 1:26, reveals that we were created in the image of God. Without going into too much detail, that image the bible is referring to, pertains to the Character of God. Stated differently, it means that God made man with His character, His character of Holiness and Righteousness. At least, this is what it was before sin came into the picture. Nonetheless, the intention was, that the character of God will shine through the life, actions and deeds of man. Mankind would reflect God’s character, the way a child reflects the character and upbringing of their parents. Continuing with that comparison, when a child reflects the good training of their parents, the parents are honoured and praised by others for a job well done. In other words, parents receive the “glory” or praise when their children are a blessing to others. Similarly, when we reflect the holiness and righteousness of God in our lives as we interact with others, God gets the glory. Therefore, to be created for God’s glory, means that we were created with the intent to bear the character of God, wherever we go and in whatever we do. So, my first interpretation of what it means to be created for God’s glory was way off and I’m glad. Because I am happy to know, that glorifying God is a more fulfilling endeavour. It is about His character being borne in my life wherever I go, and in all things that I do. This means that glorifying God is about not one-off moments, it’s a way of life, a life worth living.